Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People at Work

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a work of art and write a story about "Man with a Hoe Five Years Later." students also photograph their hands with a tool and write about what wonderful tools hands are.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cesar Chavez Biopoem

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students demonstrate their learning about Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union by writing a biopoem. They word process the poem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SALLY RIDE

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students express what it would be like to launch off into outer space in a space shuttle. They include what it might feel like, look like, sound like, and any thoughts that go through their mind as they dart away from the Earth's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Los Angeles Throughout the Years

For Teachers 4th
In groups, 4th graders are given a recent decade to focus on and its impact on Los Angeles and to see how the city has changed over time.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Day of the Dead

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore Day of the Dead, also called "Dia de los Muertos," which is a holiday (or festival) celebrated in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, and other areas in Central and South America populated with the Latino ethnic background.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Uniform Blues

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore what the U.S. Constitution is and why it is important, the purpose of the state constitution, and its relationship to the U.S. Constitution and the similarities and differences among federal, state and local...
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: Coming to California [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
In this lesson, 4th graders examine entries from Juan Bautista de Anza's diary and other documents to understand the experiences and obstacles he and his companions faced as they traveled from Arizona to California in 1774. Student...
Handout
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Immigration: Framing Soo Hoo Lem Kong

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This resource presents a primary lesson plan that looks at primary sources to learn about Chinese immigration to California.
Website
Books in the Classroom

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site: In Plain Sight

For Students 3rd - 5th
Carol Hurst uses one of her own books, "In Plain Sight," as a basis for this lesson plan on the California gold rush. In addition to discussion questions about the book, Hurst provides ten activities designed to help students explore...
Handout
University of California

Cal Heritage Collection: Using Primary Sources

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
This resource covers what primary sources are, where we can find them, and how we can assess them in the classroom.